White horses 1925

Nicholas Roerich made this painting called ‘White Horses’ at some point in his lifetime using paint on canvas. What strikes me first about this piece is how Roerich embraced ambiguity in his mark-making. Look at the cloud formations in the upper half of the painting: they’re made with soft, blended brushstrokes of white, grey and lavender that bleed into each other. The texture is so smooth, it almost feels like looking at a watercolor. Then there’s the landscape with the mountains, where the paint application is more opaque, creating a sense of solidity and weight. This contrast is really exciting; it's like a dance between the ethereal and the grounded. I’m also drawn to the little white horses that are running over the landscape, like free-floating signifiers, unbound from any traditional symbolic meaning. For me, this speaks to the fact that art isn’t about fixed meanings. It's an invitation to explore, to question, and to find your own connections. It reminds me of Odilon Redon, in his strange dreamscapes that seem to emerge from another world.